Shot spreading device



Feb. l, 1944. c. E. RussELL SHOT SPREADING DEVICE Filed-Feb. 1s, 1940 A A 1. f W0 |NvENroR v CHARLES E. R U SSELL Patented Feb. 1, 1944 'UNCHTED sno'r sPR'EADING'nEvfIoE .Appiieationrebruary' 13, 1940; seriarNo.- al1-sss Claims.

This invention relates vto ashot spreading device for a shot gun and Imoreparticularly to a shot spreading device which is-capableof'being attached to a` compensator secured to the'muz'zle 'of a'shot gun.

L Compensators are'attached to the muzzlesfof shot guns for the purpose of Ypermitting ofE al'ateral'expansi'on of the gases behind the "shot charge before the shot charge-'leaves the compensator. It is unnecessary to discuss the reasons `lioror advantages of vusing "suchay compensator but sufce it to say that theyare inextensive use, particularly on 'guns-'usedi for' skeet shooting. It has beennproposedito provide such a compensator with a :shot `spreading device. Thesespreadin'g' devices .have,.v for :the m'ost part' Iatl-least, been provided rwith a isrnooth forwardly Viiaring bore andiinasmuch as .they werefattachedto the-dischargeend of fthe .compensatorthe lateral expansion of Vthe' gases before .the charge reached the spreading device greatly limited the eiiciencyof the spreader. -`Further, it.fhas been proposed heretofore .toLprovidea shot gun `barr'elwith a ried zone iadjacent the :muzzle .thereof for I'the purpose' .of spreading shot. zbut- .it is not always desirable. orpra'ctical to riiie shot. gun :barrels Compensators are usually rigidlyx'secured Ainaccurate position Eonfthel muzzlefof"thergunlba1fel by a guns'mith'; andrit ris .not v.practical Ito remove a compensator.andfsubstitute -aspreading device therefor to venable the. gunt-beiused-*alternately With the compensator and .the spreader.

. It is 'therefore'V fone object -of the .invention :to provide azshot spreaderwhich can .be attache'dto a compensator `whiletheflatter is .secured :to the gun barrel. and Vwhich'williimpart `to .the shot chargea rotary motionV which Will .createltherein a centrifugal force Whichwilltendto spreadthe shot when the shot has. `passed :beyond .the spreader.

A further object ofdtheainventionis to provide suchl an attachmentwhich :will k,prevent -or Llimit the lateral expansion Aof. the gases: priorA to. the passage `of the same beyond therspreadingvattachment.

It is. also Van* object of the ir'xventionto. provide such l.an attachment i'whichfmays. be adjusted :to either entirely. prevent.. the 'lateral expansion of the gases or to: permit. a limited.;expansion thereof, and. thus retain inpartrthe vfunction lof :the compensatorv 'while at .the Sametime .securing an eiicient spreading of the shot.

. .A further: objectl of the invention: is to" provide such-an attachment which-will besimple'in, -its construction-1 inexpensiveztov buildLandv-which may;

beV easilylattached to. .or removed" from the compensator'without .the aid ofja gunsmith.

'.Other. objects ffthe invention may. appear as the device ,is "d'escribtlin detz'iil.`

'.In the. accompanying .drawing Fig.. 1. is. aside elevation ofja.fportijonofV agunbarreland compensator showing. my [invention applied 'thereto Fig'. 2 is aflongi'tudin'al section .taken centrally of Fig; 1, .showingthe spreading devicepositioned in the fcompensatortoprevent the lateral expansion of-.ithe gaseSFgXS/.is/a View similar ,to Fig. 2, showingA Ith'e .spreading' device adjusted. to .permit ofta .limiteddateralexpansion ,ofthe gases; Fig. 4,is a transverse sectional .view taken on "the line 444 of EiggZEigI isa transverse. section taken on .the linei 5-.5 of `Fig.,2;.and-ig. 6 is a transverse'section .taken o njtheline. 6-.-6 of Fig, 2.

.,Inthe drawing'I ha-veillustrated thepreferred form ofniy shotfspr'eaderand .have shown the same as applie'd'tofa compensator of a well known construction. It will be understood, however, thatthe vspreading devicemay take various forms and may be used vinconnectionlwith compensators or adapters of various kinds.

HA5 here .shownthe compensator comprises a cylindrical .shell '5 having. at its rear end. a .screw threaded .portion `-which .islmounted on the end ofa gun. barrel `I ,and rigidlyjsecured in position thereon byset vscrews 8. .'Ihednternal diameter of the shell'E is enlarged beyond the screwthreadedporton 6 toprovidethev same with alongitudina1 chamber. .of .relatively large,- diameter, .and this .enlargement ofthemainfportion of the lshell providestheV` compensatorwith an annular shoulder S adjacenttoandslightly infront .of the muzzle. of 'the barrel 1. The shell Sis provided with one Aor.morelongtudinalf.series of openings or slots Ill ,to vestablish communication between the chamber .-Within: the kshell and the atmosphere and thusestablish communicationbetween. the muzzle of :the gun-barrel. andthe atmosphere, whereby:thefgasesfleaving the. barrel in the -rear of the shot charge are .permitted .to immediately expand later-ally. .This particular. compensator is provided at .itsiorward endA with an internal screw .thread -Il .for thepurposeof securingan attachment thereto. e

|IFhe spreading. device comprises y an elongate element YI2,.of 'an-overall. diameter slightly less than .the internal. diameter of-thechamber in the compensator andi adapted tol be inserted in Uthat chamber. Thiselongate element is provided'with a longitudinal Lhora-I3 vof'ya diameter approximately equal to thediameterofthe-bore of the muzzle-.of `.the gun barrel. Vvillriile.,itsispnotinecessary that the bore of the spreader should be exactly the same as the bore of the muzzle it is preferable that it should not be of a materially greater diameter. The bore of the spreader is rifled, as shown at I6, and this riiiing may extend for any desired part of the length of the bore. In the present instance it extends for the full length of the bore and the lands extend into the bore. 'Ihe spreading device is of such length that when fully inserted in the compensatorthe rear or inner end thereof will contact with the shoulder 9 and thus interrupt all communication between the gun barrel and the chamber of thecompensator or the openings in the latter, thereby preventing the gases from entering the chamber exteriorly of the Spreader and preventing any lateral expansion of the gases. -Preferably the' rear end of the spreader is beveled, as shown at I4, to provide a sealing contact between'the same and the shoulder 9, and to accurately center the spreader with relatio-n to the barrel. 'Ihe spreader is provided near its forward or discharge end with an external screw thread adapted to engage the internal thread Il of the compensator and thus secure the spreader Within the compensaor. If desired, means, such as a lock nut I5, may be provided to prevent the unintentional displacement of the spreader. The forward end of the spreader may terminate in any suitable relation to the forward end of the compensator and in the present instance it extends slightly beyond the forward end of the compensator when the spreader is in its fully inserted position, to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spreader and to receive the lock nut. The screw threaded connection between the spreader and the compensator enables the spreader to be forced tightly into engagement with the shoulder of the compensator and also enables the spreader to be adjusted so that its rear end will be spaced from the shoulder 9 to permit a relatively small portion of the gases to pass from the muzzle about the end of the spreader through the chamber to one or more of the openings 10, thus permitting of a limited lateral expansion of the gases.

As is well known, inthe usual shot gun shell the powderand shot are separated by one or more felt wads tted tightly within the shell and the shot is held in engagement with the foremost wad by a front wad which is pressed into the shell and which is usually relatively thin, When such a shell is inserted in the breech of-a shot gun and the gun fired the gases resulting from the explosion of the powder force the shot charge, that is, the mass of shot and the wads, out through the muzzle of the barrel. The pressure of the gas on the rear wads presses the shot against the front wad and the combined action of these wads retains the shot in a compact mass until lit leaves the muzzle. When the muzzle is provided With my shot spreader the shot charge, with they shot in a compact mass, enters the bore of the spreader and the engagement of the rifling with the wads, and with the outer layer of shot, imparts to the shot charge as a whole a rotary movement, which attains high speed as the charge approaches the discharge end of the spreader and thereby imparts to the shot a centrifugal force which causes the same to spread after it leaves the spreader. The lands of the riing preferably project into the bore of the spreader so that they will bite into the wads and effect a positive rotation of the shot charge. Communication having been interrupted between the muzzle of the barrel and the chamberY in the compensator there will be no lateral expansion of the gases and the full force thereofV Cil will act on the shot charge to move the same forwardly and to rotate the same in the spreader. If it is desired to retain a portion of the function of the compensator the spreader may be adjusted, by means of its screw threaded connection with the compensator, to space the inner end thereof from the shoulder 9 of the compensator, and this establishes a communication with the expansion chamber which will permit of a limited lateral expansion of the gases without materially decreasing the spreading action of the spreader.

It will be noted that the spreader in its preferred form comprises a single piece of metal shaped to fit Within the compensator and rifled to effect the spreading of the shot. It is attached to the compensator by merely inserting the same through the forward end of the latter and screwing it into place and then applying the lock nut to hold it in its adjusted position, and this can be accomplished without the aid of a gun smith or other skilled mechanic.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I Wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art. y

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a tubular compensator having means whereby it may be attached to the muzzle of a shot gun in axial alinement therewith, and formed with lateral passageways and with an internal shoulder adjacent that end thereof which is to be attached to said gun barrel and with internal screw threads at the other end thereof, a shot spreading device comprising an elongate element extending into the tubular compensator and formed with an axial bore to receive the shot and gases from said gun barrel and with screw threads engaging the threads of said compensator, said element 'being of such length that when fully inserted in said compensator the inner end thereof engages said shoulder, and the vbore of said element being rifled for at least a portion of its length.

. 2. Incombination with a tubular compensator having .means whereby it may be attached to the muzzle of a shot gun in axial alinement therewith, and formed with lateral passages through which gases from said gun barrel may expand, a shot spreading device comprising an elongate element extending into said tubular compensator and formed with an axial shot and gas receiving Ibore, said element being of such length thatwhen fully inserted in said compensator it extends beyond and closes said lateral passages, the bore of said element being rif-led for at least a portion of its length, and means for removably securing said element in said compensator.

3. In combination with a tubular compensator having means whereby it may be attached to the muzzle of a shot gun barrel in axial alinement therewith, and formed with lateral passages, an elongate cylindrical element extending into said compensator and formed with an axial shot and gasvreceiving bore, said element having an externaly diameter approximating the internal diameter of said compensator and closing at least the major portion of the lateral passages in said compensator, the bore of said element being formed to cause the shot to spread as it passes 'beyond the end thereof, and means for removably securng said element in said compensator.

4. A shot spreading device for insertion in a shot gun compensator of the type which is formed with a cylindrical axial shot and gas receiving bore and `With lateral passages for the expansion of the gases, said device comprising a cylindrical element formed with an axial shot and gas receiving bore and having an external diameter approximating the diameter of the bore of said compensator, the bore of said element being formed to cause the shot to spread as it passes beyond the forward end thereof, said` element being of such length that when inserted in the bore of said compensator it will close at least the major portion of said lateral passages, and means for removably securing said element in a xed position in said compensator.

5. A shot spreading device for insertion in a shot gun compensator of the type which is formed with a cylindrical axial shot and gas receiving bore, with lateral passages through which the gases may expand and with: an annular shoulder in the rear of said passages, said device comprising a cylindrical element having an external diameter approximating the diameter of the bore of said compensator and formed with an axial shot and gas receiving ried bore, said element being of such length that when fully inserted in the bore of said compensator it will engage said shoulder and prevent the lateral expansion of gases through said passages, said element being formed at its forward end with means whereby it may be secured to said compensator.

CHARLES E. RUSSELL. 

